Cyperus polystachyos |
Cyperus seslerioides |
|
---|---|---|
many-spike flatsedge |
Texas flatsedge |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial (annual?), cespitose. | Herbs, perennial, cespitose; rhizomes knotty, much branched, 2–5 mm diam., scaly. |
Culms | trigonous or ± terete, (3–)20–45(–70) cm × (0.8–) 1.2–2 mm, glabrous. |
roundly trigonous, basally with dark fibrous remnants of old leaf sheaths, (0.5–)4–30 cm × 0.4 –1.1 mm, glabrous. |
Leaves | (2–) 6–10(–16), flat to V-shaped, (2–) 10–30(–60) cm × 1–4 mm. |
1–5, flat, involute toward apex, 3–18 cm × 1–2.5(–3) mm. |
Inflorescences | spike 1, loosely ovoid to densely turbinate, 12–40 × 10–25 mm; rachis 3–10 mm; rays 1–8(–12), 0.5–3(–6) cm; 2d order rays absent; if rays absent, inflorescence single dense cluster of spikelets, 12–40 mm diam.; bracts (3–)4–6(–7), horizontal to ascending at 45°, flanged V-shaped, (2–)5–15(–23) cm × 1–4 mm. |
heads hemispheric to spheric, (3–)6–15(–24) mm diam.; rays absent; bracts 2–5, horizontal to reflexed, parallel to culm, 1–13 cm × 1–3 mm, margins and keel sparsely minutely scabridulous distally. |
Spikelets | (5–)15–30(–40), spreading to appressed-ascending, linear-lanceoloid to linear, compressed, 8–18(–40) × (1–)1.3–1.6(–2) mm; floral scales (8–)12–25(–66), laterally stramineous to light brown, medially green, laterally ribless, medially 3–5-ribbed, oblong, (1.5–)1.8–2.4 × (1–)1.2–1.4 mm, apex acute to ± acute, mucronate. |
(5–)20–60(–100), whitish to greenish or brownish, ovoid to oblong-lanceoloid, compressed, 3–7 × 2–4 mm; floral scales (8–)10–12(–24), laterally milky white (infrequently yellowish, pale greenish, brown, or bronze-white), medially green or white, laterally ribless, medially 3-ribbed, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 1.6–3(–3.4) × 0.8–1.3 mm, apex mucronate to acuminate. |
Flowers | stamens 2; anthers (0.4–)0.5–0.8 mm, connective not prolonged; styles 0.6–1(–1.4) mm; stigmas (1–)1.4–2 mm. |
stamens 3; anthers linear, (0.4–)0.6–0.8(–1.1) mm, connective not prolonged; styles 0.8–1.8 mm; stigmas (0.5–)1–1.5(–2) mm. |
Achenes | light to dark brown, oblong, (0.8–)0.9–1.1(–1.2) × 0.4–0.5(–0.6) mm, base cuneate to ± stipelike, apex truncate, apiculate, surfaces punctate to minutely punctate with raised cells. |
brown to blackish, trigonous, broadly obovoid, 0.5–1 × 0.3–0.75 mm, base slightly stipelike, ± cuneate to rounded, apex apiculate, papillose. |
Cyperus polystachyos |
Cyperus seslerioides |
|
Phenology | Fruiting summer–early fall. | Fruiting summer. |
Habitat | Shores, ditches, swales between dunes | Seeps, damp meadows in montane forests |
Elevation | 0–200 m (0–700 ft) | 1000–2000 m (3300–6600 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; DC; DE; FL; GA; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OK; PA; SC; TX; VA; WV; Mexico; Central America; South America; Asia; Africa
|
AZ; TX; Mexico; South America; Central America (Honduras) |
Discussion | Cyperus polystachyos is polymorphic. Adequate understanding of the infraspecific variations of C. polystachyos requires a worldwide examination, which is beyond the scope of this study. The segregates, C. fugax and C. filicinus, are recognized here; they have been usually accepted by recent workers (e.g., M. L. Fernald 1950; H. A. Gleason and A. Cronquist 1991). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 23, p. 160. | FNA vol. 23, p. 157. |
Parent taxa | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycreus | Cyperaceae > Cyperus > subg. Pycnostachys |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | C. brizaeus, C. polystachyos var. leptostachyus, Pycreus polystachyos | |
Name authority | Rottbøll: Descr. Pl. Rar., 21. (1772) | Kunth: in A. von Humboldt et al., Nov. Gen. Sp. 1: 209. (1816) |
Web links |